The Heroes of the Jewel
by Superboy-Prime the Eva Pilot
Summary: This is basically an Superman and InuYasha universe crossover with some original elements thrown in. Based on a role play by me and my friend, we see how Kikyo ends up in the modernday DC Universe and helps the superhero Superboy and the halfdemon Talim f
1. Working Together

_The Heroes of the Jewel_

_Based on a role playing game created by Jorge Rustrian, Santana Stevens and Samantha Byrd_

_Act 1: Working Together_

The forest was quiet and calm and very peaceful. She liked it this way. There was no one to bother her and nothing to sway her. Kikyo was this kind of person. She was more of the quiet, shy melancholy type. She was as well strong when she needed to be, responsible and loyal to her friends as well. She hummed to herself as always as she walked in through the tall trees. It was around 1350-1500 during the Sengoku or "Warring States" period in Japan. The Feudal Era as people today name this period in time. Kikyo was a priestess in these parts and has responsibilities. Well had at least. About fifty years ago, Kikyo was killed. She was later resurrected and is now after the demon that killed her.

"Naraku…" she said quietly

That's the demon that killed her. His main goal is to find the pieces of Shikon-no-Tama or "Jewel of Four Souls". This jewel is made of immeasurable power and is no wonder why he would want it. Kikyo was the protector of this jewel back in her village and when she died, she took this jewel with her and it disappeared until her reincarnation, Kagome, came to the feudal era and brought with her the Shikon jewel. Since then, it has been shattered and its pieces scattered through out the land.

"Where are you? I hope Inuyasha hasn't found you first." She said

Kikyo walked to a nearby tree and sat down in front of it. She sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. She rested her bow and quiver full of arrows next to her.

"I've been doing this way too long… so tired of it all. Why is it always about me? Why do I have to live this life? I guess I'm just unlucky. I was the one who had to protect the jewel. I was the one who fell in love with Inuyasha. I was the one who died while putting that spell on him."

She leaned back and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"The resurrection was even harder. Now look at me, running around the forest looking for Naraku. Everything is going so bad. I just…huhhh…I just wanted to be normal…"

Then, in the trees, a figure appeared. The familiar presence that she felt indicated who it was.

"Naraku…" she said as she stood up and grabbed her bow.

"Hello, Kikyo. Fancy meeting you here." he said.

"I finally found you." She picked up her bow and readied it.

"Heh, you are a very bold girl. That will never work." He said happily.

"At least I can try! Naraku, its time that you were put down!"

"Kikyo, do not make me laugh!" he extended a pincer and directed it towards her.

Kikyo shot her arrow, which sliced through the pincer. Naraku extended five this time, all of them flying straight at her. She lowered her bow and her head. Closing her eyes, she stepped backwards… and fell.

Naraku stared at the swirling mass of energy that encased Kikyo as she fell. In a moment, she was gone.

"Nice try Kikyo. One day, I will get to kill you. No matter how long it takes." he said as he made a grin.

Back in modern times, somewhere outside Gotham City, a half demon named Talim was pondering her dilemma.

"Where can you be?" she asked nobody "I've been chasing you for three months already and I've turned up nothing!"

In her small cabin, the place was completely empty except for a small cot and a table with one chair. Talim paced around the cabin as if she was looking for something.

"That bastard, I'll get him. I told my bro I wasn't going to go after him, but I gotta. He killed all of our friends and he's gonna pay for that."

Her eyes glowed red, matching the color of her hair. The demon blood in her boiled violently. She remembered all the times she was with her friends and her brother, Koga. How much fun they had and how happy they were, only to be disrupted by Naraku. She remembered how she found all of them dead, dying or disintegrated. Some of them where crying out to die and to be put to rest. Her brother tried to help them but it was no use since they were going to die in matter of minutes. Talim would never let that image go from her mind. Never…

"There you are, you bastard. I know where you are. I finally found you and now I'm coming after you, Naraku."

She walked outside and looked to the mountains. Talim then closed her eyes and teleported.

In Metropolis, a man drove up to a bank in a car and entered. He fired up into the air and within minutes he was out with all the money he needed. Down the road he drove, being pursued by the M.P.D. They fired at him and he fired back, laughing as he did. He didn't notice the boy who flew down in front of him and just stood there, defiant to his rampage. The boy smiled just as the man in the car did and held out his hands. By the time the man noticed the boy, the boy was unavoidable. The boy, with massive strength, toppled the speeding car onto its side. He then proceeded to rip open the car door and pull out the man.

"I didn't do nothing, man!" the man said.

"Oh really? Then what's all this money?" the boy responded.

"It's…a loan?"

"Don't play dumb with me!" the boy said as he crushed the man's gun into pieces. The man just stared at the pieces as they fell onto the ground.

"Here, I'll leave you to them. I got better things to do." the boy said as he dropped him onto the ground and started floating. The police came at that instant and handcuffed him. One of the policemen looked up at the flying boy.

"Thanks for you help, Superboy!" the policeman said.

"No prob, dude. See ya!" he said and then he flew up into the sky.

Just one of many events in a superhero's life. After awhile, it gets kinda boring, stopping the same kind of thug everytime. Of course, there are those exceptions where it's a very big adventure that you would remember for a long time to come. Fewer and fewer of those come around these days. They usually come to the big time heroes. But that doesn't bother Superboy too much. He knows what he has to do and does it well. He has to because when you're next in line to be Superman, they expect a lot from you. He trains hard but has fun in the process.

"Slow day today. Not much going around except for that guy in the car. Hmmm, I can always go study…but that's boring. Arcade? No. There's no one else to go with. Wow…never actually thought I'd get bored doing this. Just wish something exciting would happen." He said as he flew across the Metropolis skyline, the sun setting in the horizon.

"Ok then, where are you?" Talim said as she walked around a construction site on the summit of a mountain in rural New Jersey.

"Naraku, quit hiding, I know you're around here somewhere." She said.

"Ok, ok you found me then. Gotta hand it to you, Talim, you have a really good hunting skill. I actually tried this time." said Naraku as he appeared out of the shadows. He was dressed in modern clothes but in form still looked the same.

"Well thanks, but remember that I'm here to kill you. So get ready to die." said Talim as her eyes glowed red.

"Oh fine then. If you want it that way…" he mutated into his large demonic form, pincers and all. Talim got into her fighting stance.

"By the way, Talim. Once I get your powers, I'll be after your brother next!" Naraku said delightedly.

"You will not put a finger on him!" she said.

Talim leapt and fired out an energy blast of some sort at him. It exploded on his body but it was apparent that it was ineffective. He extended an appendage and whipped her away. She was thrown into a nearby work crane. She jumped, eyes blazing and ran full throttle at Naraku. Talim slammed into him and was ricocheted away with no apparent damage to Naraku.

"Hehe, please Talim do not test my patience. If this is your best, then you are a complete fool to challenge me." Naraku stated.

Talim had a sort of worried look on her face. She sighed and threw a blast at him, with the same effect as before.

"I thought I could catch him off guard by throwing some very powerful attacks at him at first," she thought "I don't know what affect my more powerful attack will have… I'm in deep trouble… Geez, why did'nt I listen to Koga? Gosh I wish he was here to help."

Naraku towered over Talim as he prepared to attack…

A little ways away, a translucent tunnel opened and out came Kikyo as she fell on the ground. The tunnel then closed up behind her and disappeared.

"What was that about? Ouchie…Hmmm…This doesn't look like the forest I was in. It's a completely different one." She stood up

"What was that light about? Did it teleport me to this place? Asking myself won't do any good. I've got to get myself back." She picked up her bow and arrows.

"Well, here goes…wait…Naraku? Is that you? I can sense you. Yes…I'm coming for you…" and she ran off towards Naraku.

Metropolis at night is a beautiful sight. But Superboy isn't interested in that. He was sitting on one of the towering skyscrapers by himself looking down at the city.

"It's amazing how melancholy it can get up here. Not that I haven't been before. There's been nobody to talk to, nobody to hang with. Clark's been very busy, Tana's dead, I can't really talk to Mr. & Mrs. Kent and the Teen Titans are still scared of me with all that brouhaha with Lex Luthor. I've been on my own before but never like this." He lied back.

"So many problems but no one to tell them to. I…just need someone to talk to…" he said as his superhearing picked up the sounds of a fight on progress.

"Hmmm…I wonder what that is. I better go see what it is." And he flew off in the direction of the mountain. A few miles off, he used his telescopic vision to see who was near: A large, shapeshifting demon, a demon girl with green eyes and a making her way up the mountain was a teenage girl dress in a red and white kimono. He grinned and made his way down to the fight.

Talim was barely holding her own against the superior might of Naraku when Kikyo made her way to the summit of the mountain. A little ways of sight of the ongoing battle, she waited and watched.

"Naraku, I knew it was you. Who is that girl he is fighting? I can sense she is a demon, but only half? How can she stand up to him? Her power is waning and she is losing. If I am going to destroy him, then my chance is now! I have to help her!" she said as she got out of the shadows and walked towards the fight.

Talim dodged a series of strikes as she launched a solid energy ball into Naraku, sending him flying back. She took this moment to run and leap into the air towards her enemy. Naraku seized the moment by extending a tentacle and stabbed her through the stomach.

"Heh, nice try, but you just made it a whole lot worse." he said as his tentacle split into two and started to pull Talim's middle section apart. She yelped out in pain as blood dripped to the ground. Suddenly, a shining arrow sliced through the tentacle which was pulling apart Talim, dropping her to the ground. Both the battling half-demons looked over to where the arrow had come from and saw the priestess standing, looking determined and ready to fight.

"Kikyo? So this where you have disappeared to? It's amazing that you still hate me after all these years." Naraku said with a slightly puzzled look on his face.

"Wait a second," said Talim "Who are you?"

"Naraku, it's about time." said Kikyo as she readied another arrow.

"Oh boy, this'll be a great joy. I get to kill both of my enemies at the same time. What a great day I'm having!" said Naraku.

He then extended another tentacle at Kikyo. She jumped out of the way in the nick of time, firing her arrow as she did. The arrow ripped through the middle portion of Naraku's body. He fell on the floor and quickly regenerated his body. Talim then took this opportunity to punch him away. Kikyo ran over to Talim, looking concerned about her wound.

"Demon girl, are you alright?" she asked her.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Talim said happily as she ran her hand over her fully healed stomach.

"Wow, you certainly are full of surprises, demon. What is your quarrel with Naraku?" Kikyo asked Talim just as Naraku slammed himself into the space between them, making them both go flying.

"I'll tell you later!" Talim yelled out to her as she regained her ground.

"Talim, why didn't you tell me you could speak Japanese?" Naraku asked her as he shot spikes at her.

"You didn't need to know!" she replied as she dodged them and blasted him.

"Naraku, stand still!" Kikyo yelled out as her arrow went flying.

He dodged that attack and wrapped his slimy tentacles around her, binding her tightly. Talim attempted to get her free, but was then encased in protoplasm shot out by Naraku.

"Hahahah…wow that was easy. Just look at the powers that both of you posses! This will boost myself up quite a bit!" he said maniacally as he towered over both of them. He was about the strike when a blast of red energy released Kikyo and Talim.

"What? Who dares to ruin my plan?" Naraku asked as he looked up in the sky. Kikyo and Talim looked up as well and saw with their own eyes a boy flying in sky.

"I wouldn't do that if I where you, dude." said the boy.

"Who are you?" asked Naraku.

"The name's Superboy…"

Superboy landed calmly on the ground, in between Kikyo and Talim. He smiled softly at Naraku, then turned his attention at the two girls.

"Are you two alright?" he asked them

"We can take care of ourselves. I was just about to take hi-" started Talim as she looked over at him.

"Feisty, aren't we? Who's the monster?"

Kikyo spoke to him, but her language was one he didn't understand. Superboy arched an eyebrow as she spoke.

"Um…sure." he said, confused.

"Ok, this is wasting my time. I don't care if there's how many of you, all of you will now die!" Naraku said gleefully.

He swung one of his many protrusions at the three, each of them dodging it. Talim made a strike at his body to no avail. Superboy slammed his fist into his body, but was then swiped away by Naraku. Kikyo shot her arrow, but missed. Seeing that their attacks weren't working alone, Superboy pulled the girls back to a safe position.

"It's not working you guys. This guy is tough." said Superboy as Kikyo arched an eyebrow.

"Can you translate for her please?" he asked Talim.

She nodded and started translating.

"Apparently, you know this guy better than me, but I'm guessing that if we all combine our strengths that we will eventually overcome him. I mean, it'll be harder to fight three organized people than three unorganized people right?" Superboy explained.

"Yes, that's right. But with Naraku, we must destroy everything about him or else he can regenerate himself." said Kikyo as Talim translated for Superboy.

"I see. Then an unrelentless, powerful attack should catch him off guard. I've seen you two fight and it just might work. Your arrows are powerful, so you should stsy back. You, Red, your energy attacks are awesome. Don't be afraid to get close." he explained.

"My name is Talim, for your information." Talim corrected him.

"Sorry, Talim, but no time for chit-chat. We gotta attack him now!"

"Watch out!" yelled Talim as she push Conner out of the way of Naraku's attack. He walked over the area by which they were talking and swiped at Kikyo. She dodged and out behind her jumped Talim, blasting her attack into Naraku's face. He staggered back and was punched forward by Superboy. Naraku knocked Superboy away into a local car. Kikyo took advantage of the attack by launching her arrow across the midsection of Naraku's body, separating him in half. He, with an angry face, knocked her away. Talim jumped on top of him and burned him with demonic energy. Naraku looked surprised at what happen, but shrugged it off wrapped her up in tentacles. Superboy looked at what happened and burned away the tentacles with his heat vision. He then slammed his fist into his face, knocking him back a few yards. Naraku growled, obviously annoyed and shot a fleshy glob at Superboy, missing him narrowly. Then another arrow ripped through Naraku's body and was burned fiercly by Talim's attacks.

"We have him!" Talim yelled out.

"We must press on!" Kikyo demanded as she let two arrows fly.

"Just a bit more!" Superboy yelled as his heat vision flied and fried.

Then, out of nowhere, a giant glowing tunnel appeared Naraku, and sucked him in, smiling as he did. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone.

"Damn it! He escaped!" Talim exclaimed.

"That was just like that other tunnel that appeared…" Kikyo said.

"Was that a Boom Tube…?" Superboy wondered.

"Well, wherever he went, I will find him and destroy him." Kikyo said.

"Not before me, girl!" Talim snapped back at her.

"Please girl, you couldn't possibly have a greater drive of vengeance than me."

"Oh yeah? I'll show you-"

"Shut up!" yelled Superboy "This is getting us nowhere! Apparently, both of you have some sort of problem with this 'Naraku' character but quarreling among each other isn't gonna solve anything."

"You're not involved, kid. So I'd be quiet if I were you." Talim coldly said to Superboy.

"I just saved your lives, red. For your information, I recognize that tunnel where he disappeared too." he said.

"I've seen that tunnel as well. I went through one as I got to this world." Kikyo said as Talim translated.

"I have to investigate this further. If you guys would like to join me, then fine. If not, ok then." Superboy explained.

"I'm in if it means the destruction of Naraku." Talim said.

"I have nothing else to live for, so this will be my final mission. I'll help you two." Kikyo said.

"So I guess we're all a team then. Nice to meet you, Talim, was it?"

"Yeah it is, Superboy." Talim said.

"Heh, it gets annoying when people call me that. My real name's Conner Kent. So what's her name?" he asked.

Talim turned to her, asked her and muttered out "Kikyo."

Conner smiled and waved at her.

"It's a little late for investigating, don't you think Conner?" Talim asked him.

"It is. Let's go to my place and discuss it there." he answered.

"Where is it?" she asked again.

"Smallville, Kansas." he answered.

"Wow, you're a little ways off from there." she said.

"Yeah, but I get around."

"Yeah, so let's go." Talim said as she turned to Kikyo and explained what was going on. She then grabbed everyone's hand and teleported away.


	2. Apokoliptic Alliance

_Act 2: Apokoliptic Alliance_

Out in the far reaches of space, on a different dimensional plane between reality and Hell, is Apokolips. This planet is a perpetual pit of sorrow and misery for all those who live there. Prisons and fire pits dot the surface of this dark and barren world ruled by the iron fist of the despotic tyrant Darkseid. In his own giant palace, he awaits in his chamber awaiting the return of his agent. The wall tore open to a swirling, energized tunnel and out of it dropped the mass of Naraku. The demon quickly reformed and approached Naraku.

"So what happened, Naraku? You were supposed to get rid of her." said the despotic ruler.

"She has allies that I did not know about…" Naraku said.

"And that stopped you from killing her?"

"They were more powerful than I thought."

Darkseid paused for a moment and turned to face Naraku, his red eyes glowing.

"Who was the girl in white?" he asked.

"Her name is Kikyo, sire. She was a priestess from way back in the Feudal Era. It was her who guarded the jewel."

"Ah, yes. The supposed 'Jewel of Four Souls'. Such nonsense and magic shouldn't be a problem. You had a quarrel with her before?"

"Yes, master."

"But how is she alive now?"

"I do not know. But I suspect that she used her resurrected body to live for a long while."

"She was reborn?"

"In a false body, yes."

"Does she display powers?"

"Yes, sire."

"But overall, she is no threat. But I will let you off for the appearance of Superboy."

"The boy?"

"Yes, him."

Darkseid walked over to the balcony overhanging a fire pit. He looked down then back at Naraku. "He'll know about the Boom Tube."

"Then I shall destroy him along with the girls." said Naraku.

"Do not take him so lightly. I remember him here quite awhile ago. He made a laughing stock out of my guards. Together with the demon and priestess, they might make a powerful team." said Darkseid.

"Then I shall wait and discover more about them and plan my actions."

"Good. As soon as they are out, return here for your rewards."

"Sir, just killing them is a reward enough." Naraku said as the Boom Tube opened up in the wall. He slipped in and disappeared as the tube closed behind him.

"Talim…" said Darkseid "This time, I will destroy you."

The three youngsters appeared on a rather shabbily looking farm. It was cold and very quiet, natural for a farm in Kansas. Talim looked around amused at the farm. Kikyo looked around unimpressed at the advances of the future, for her of course she hasn't seen a modern city. In the back of the girls, Conner sighed as if to say he was at last home.

"Is this it, Conner? You live on a farm? You never told me you were a farmboy." Talim said to Conner.

"I'm not one. I've been living here for a few months with my aunt and uncle." he said to her. He walked towards the house, beckoning the girls to follow him. The three walked into the house, where an elderly couple introduced themselves.

"Oh, hello Conner, who are your friends?" said the nice old lady.

"These are my…new friends, Aunt Martha." Conner said. He looked over to Talim. "This is Talim…uh…"

"Vondor. Talim Vondor. Nice to meet you ma'Am." she said as she shook Martha Kent's hand.

Conner continued with his introduction. "And this is Kikyo." The priestess bowed in front of Martha. She looked surprised and amused.

"Oh yeah, Aunt Martha, she doesn't speak any English. She's from Japan." Conner told Martha.

"Oh, well that's nice."

Then, out from the kitchen, walked Jonathan Kent. He stopped and, after a quick silence, introduced himself as Conner introduced the girls.

"Well, uh, we gotta go…discuss things. In the barn. See ya!" said Conner in a rush as he whisked them outside towards the barn.

Once inside the barn, the three discussed themselves and their dilemmas, the first of which was communication. Conner furisely searched around the barn while the Talim sat bored and Kikyo looked around curiously.

"Aha!" said Conner as he held up a small earpiece.

"What is that?" asked Talim.

"It's a translator. It's able to translate what Kikyo is speaking into English and what I'm speaking into Japanese." he said putting it on his ear. Conner looked at Kikyo and said hi.

"Hi…" Kikyo said reluctantly. She smiled softly at him.

"Hello, Kikyo. My name is Conner Kent." he greeted her.

"Hello, Conner Kent." Kikyo said fumbling with his American name a bit.

"Are you really from Japan?" he asked.

"Well, yes, Actually, from what I've learned, I am from a different time period."

Conner looked over at Talim with a bewildered expression. He knew it was true; the clothes gave that away. He turned to face Kikyo again and started with the questions.

"What time then?" he asked with contempt.

Kikyo thought for a second and then said, "Around 1447."

"1447? That would be around the Feudal Era, am I not correct?" Conner said looking over to Talim, who shrugged back.

"I was a priestess in my own village, assigned to guard the Shikon-no-Tama, jewel that was-"

"The Shikon Jewel? You were the guardian of the Shikon Jewel?" Talim interrupted "Now I know who you are! Lady Kikyo, that famous priestess who was said had died but then roamed the earth looking for vengeance until her mysterious disappearance!"

"Uh…yes, I believe so. How do you know about the Jewel?"

"I have been studying on the Jewel for years now. I've been trying to look for the pieces for ages, but it is very hard to find them. I would travel all across the globe to just to grab a few pieces."

Kikyo sat up and said, "All over the globe? I thought the pieces were only confined to Japan?"

Talim shook her head and stood up. "Well, about 300 hundred years ago, someone joined the pieces together again. But a large battle ensued, which the caught the Jewel in the center. The Jewel was then shattered and scattered all over the world by an even bigger force."

"That might prove to be a problem…" said Kikyo.

Leaning his head against his hand, Conner was puzzled out of his mind by all this "Shikon" nonsense and demons and priestesses. He was clearly in a different league here then most of the other people he's met. What a rare occasion! He thought, meeting a priestess from over 600 years ago who's after a large, shape-shifting enemy. The only thing he thought was, why would this new enemy be using a Boom Tube? The only people he knew who used Boom Tubes were the New Gods from New Genesis and Darkseid from Apokolips. It was highly doubtful that Naraku was from any of those places, but then again what did he know about him? Conner sat up and looked over at Talim.

"So, uh, Talim, what's your deal?" asked Conner.

"Well, for starters, I am a demon." She confessed.

Kikyo looked over reluctantly but then turned away. She slipped into the same position Conner was in when her and Talim were having their Shikon talk. Looking over at Talim, she tuned into what they were saying,

"A demon/angel hybrid really. I guess that's what my parents were. I don't really know because I never knew them. My foster parents were the ones who raised me. I also had a brother who was raised along with me named Koga. When we first learned of the Jewel, we went off in search of it. Along the way, we made a lot of friends. Faithful ones at the least…" she paused and looked up "Then we were in Russia, finding a supposed group if jewel shards. Koga and I went out to gather firewood because we were camped outside at the time. When we came back…everyone was lying there, dead. It was….well…I can't at the moment…but his laughter when he was leaving…Naraku…I've had a drive of vengeance ever since. So, uh yeah, that's me."

The two sat there bewildered at what Talim had described of herself. Kikyo remembered scenes of massacres during battles that engulfed her village all those years ago. Conner suddenly remembered what he saw on Apokolips and other planets during the whole Imperiex business. It was quiet for awhile until Talim said, "So Superboy, why did you want to help us?"

"Oh, it was the tunnel he disappeared in." Conner said.

"You mean the, what was it? Boom Tube or something like that?"

"Yeah, that's it. Naraku is not from New Genesis or Apokolips is he?" Conner asked.

"Apokolips? Sounds familiar…"

"No, he couldn't be." said Kikyo "I knew him since he became Naraku. Also, I don't believe Naraku would have the power to do something like that."

"Then, someone is helping Naraku. I can't say who though. It's that person that I'm concerned with." said Conner.

"He's up to something now. Only, he's not the mastermind. Gosh, I'd never thought that there would be someone more powerful than Naraku." Talim stated.

Conner got up and went outside. Naturally, the girls followed him. He sat down on a wooden fence, his face almost in deep thought. He looked over at Kikyo then at Talim. "It's only going to get harder from here on."

Back were the fight took place, the tunnel reappeared and Naraku plopped out. He sighed and stood up, scanning the area, and made his way down the mountain into the forested region. After walking a few half-miles around, he entered a hidden cave in the side of the mountain. There, around a small fire, he sat down. A small girl approached him, holding a mirror. The girl was as pale as the moonlight, you can wonder if she was the moonlight itself. Naraku looked over at her and then back at the fire.

"He was more enemies then we thought, Kanna" he said in his cold, dark voice. The girl nodded in agreement. Naraku threw another stick into the fire.

"It's Kikyo again, in this time. I do not know how she got here. There's also this boy with immense strength named Superboy that Darkseid knows about." The fire crackled at the sound of his name. Kanna stood there looking at the ground with Naraku's reflection in the mirror.

"We are going to need more help on this. I will release demons to help me. But I will also need her help as well…"

He got up and faced the wall of the dimly lit cavern. He closed his eyes and suddenly his back began to morph into different shapes. The shapes finally decided on the form of a woman as it started to make its way to the floor. The woman lay on the floor, naked and cold as she looked up at Naraku.

"Kagura…" Naraku said.

"Y-Yes…?" She answered.

'We have work to do."

The next morning, Kikyo and Talim arose tired from the battle and conversation they had last night. They looked around Conner's room where they spent the night. Conner spent the night in the barn (where he usually spent it after long study sessions). Talim groggily made her way across the hall to the bathroom and splashed her face with cold water. She shivered a bit, hating the cold Kansas mornings. Talim wiped her face on a nearby towel and headed towards the door, nearly running over Kikyo.

"Whoa, you scared me there!" Talim said utterly surprised.

'Yes, I am sorry for that. I just want to bathe my face so I can wake up." Kikyo said shivering a little.

"Sure, ok. It's all yours." Talim said pointing to the faucet and sink.

Kikyo looked at the sink, then back at Talim with a confused look on her face. "What…?"

Talim smiled and turned on the faucet. "This is for cold water and this is for warm water."

"Warm water? Wow." Kikyo said feeling the warmth of the water. She splashed some water on her face and wiped her face on a towel. As then, Talim showed Kikyo the rules of the bathroom from the sink to the toilet to brushing your teeth.

"…and this is the shower. You take off your clothes, turn the water warm and bathe." said Talim, showing the time-displaced priestess the bathing area.

Kikyo nodded. "So it is warm as well? No more cold baths!"

"Yeah, just remember to use the shampoo, ok?" said Talim as she closed the door. Kikyo took off her dirty kimono, hung it up and stepped into the already-warm shower, shivering at the lukewarm water which drenched her cold body.

Talim walked down stairs, sat on the couch and turned on the TV. She nearly fell asleep again when Martha Kent greeted her. "Oh, hello Mrs. Kent." she replied back.

"How was your sleep?" kind, old Mrs. Kent asked.

"It was fine, despite how cold it gets around here." She replied.

"Oh yes, it does get cold here. Well, if you want breakfast, it'll be ready in half an hour" Martha Kent said as she went into the kitchen. Just as she went in, Conner came in from the barn. "Well, look who it is. It's Wonderboy," Talim said sarcastically.

"For your information, it's Superboy." he said as he went into the kitchen to greet Martha, He then made his way the stairs. Talim eyed him as he went up, and then suddenly remembered who was in the shower. "Uh-oh…"

There was a loud shriek, then a cry of apologies and confusion. Conner ran down the stairs surprised and slightly blushing. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you something, Smallville. Kikyo's taking a shower for the first time. Looks like you ruined it for her. Or did I forget to tell her about doorlocks? Whatever it is, you ruined it." Talim said to Conner while not moving her eyes from the TV. He looked over at her with wide eyes and sighed heavily. A minute later, Kikyo came down the stairs, smiling a small bit. She looked up at Conner and said "It's your turn" in Japanese. She then sat next to Talim on the couch. Conner quickly made his way up to the bathroom and took a shower.

Then, after breakfast, the kids went outside for a tour of the farm. Kikyo was mildly interested in Conner's explanations, but even more so was Talim, who sometimes drifted off to her own little world. After walking a mile around the farm, they came to a rest at a nearby clearing.

"Umm…Conner, can I ask you something?" Kikyo quietly asked.

"Sure, what is it?" he answered.

"I've noticed that your parents don't have any sort of powers to speak of and also on the…what was it…the television set that the majority of people on this planet don't either. Why do you have these special powers? What is with the symbol on your chest? Why did you risk your life to save ours? I've never seen such selfless acts before." She asked him.

Conner smiled and chuckled a bit. "Well, to understand what I do, you'll have to learn a bit our history. You see, not that long ago, superpowered beings came out into the open. Of course, there were many beings like that going way back, even to your time. But these people were more than just people with powers. They used their powers for good and the pursuit of justice. They donned colorful suits and used names like 'Green Lantern' or 'The Flash'. Some got their powers from accidents. Others got them from the stars. Still, others got them from within. They fought against those who used their gifts for evil. They worked mostly alone until a global conflict brought them together, Even after the war was won, they stayed together until the cause was lost and the champions of the people were faded into memory"

Conner paused a bit and continued. "Then, one day, a man appeared with a red cape and blue suit, wearing this symbol." he said as he pointed to his chest "That man was an incredible man. He can jump over tall buildings in a single bound. He was faster than arrows, then bullets even. His grip was so strong that he can crush coal into diamonds. He can fly like a bird, even a plane. The people looked up to him as a savior, a hero. They even gave him a name: Superman. He started the trend again. Mysterious strangers with superhuman powers helping the people were becoming common again."

Conner sighed a bit and regained his breath. Kikyo was listening with her complete attention. She was astounded at this story that this boy was telling. Even Talim was paying attention at the tale. "So these beings used their powers to help people? Were they born to save these people?" Kikyo asked.

"Well, no not really. Superman was born, more or less, to be a champion. He wasn't even human. He was a visitor from another planet, sent here by his parents when their planet was about to explode when we was just a child. But most others had gotten their powers later on in life. It was up to them whether to become what we would call 'superheroes.' Right now, there are many superpowered beings in the world."

"Did you come from that same planet? You claim that you use that same symbol." Kikyo asked eagerly.

"No, um, rather I am a clone of Superman."

"A clone, huh?" said Talim "Yeah, there's a bunch of them, running around here."

"A clone?" asked Kikyo.

"A copy." answered Conner.

Kikyo nodded. Conner stood up and walked around. Talim lied across the grass, staring up at the sky. "Hey…what's that?" she said pointing up at the blue ceiling of the sky to a small object.

"Man…what a world. What a time I mean. These humans have advanced much since my time." said the wind master Kagura, sitting on her giant, floating feather. She hovered just above the Kent farm while looking across to see the trio talking and relaxing. "Why does he want me to fight them, and then run? I'll never get Naraku…" she said as she headed towards them. She then unleashed a powerful wind attack the unsuspecting three.

Kikyo, Talim and Conner were thrown about a few yards away. It was Kikyo who got up first and saw who it was.

"Kagura…" she said coldly.

"Wow, you didn't age a day! Of course you wouldn't though, you're dead!" she said.

"Dead? What does she mean? Who is that?" asked Conner, confused at the attacker and question.

"Hey, who is this bitch?" asked Talim, enraged.

"You must be Talim! Yeah, Naraku told me about you. You have quite a temper on you, little girl." Kagura said to her.

"What did you call me?" Talim asked, wide eyed.

"Who cares? You guys are gonna die anyways!"


	3. Whirling Battle over Smallville

_Act 3: Whirling Battle over Smallville_

Kagura descended down in her lighter-than-air feather and stood up to face the opposition. She looked over at the red-headed half-demon Talim, next to the familiar presence of the priestess Kikyo, then last at the boy who called himself Superboy, apparently famous around these parts. She extended her fans, the devices she used to manipulate the winds and smirked.

"Ok, so you want to start this now?" she asked.

"You're outnumbered. Leave while you still can." warned Conner in a usual superhero fashion.

"Don't underestimate her power, friends. She has beaten very powerful people before, even companies larger than ours." explained Kikyo.

"The miko's right, kids. You might wanna be careful when you mess with me." Kagura said as she smiled a bit.

"Oh yeah?" said Talim as she fired a blast straight for Kagura.

The blast bypassed her by a large margin. Kagura smiled evilly and confidently.

"Fine then, it's my turn." said Kagura as she let loose her Dance of the Wind Blades. The three kids all jumped away to avoid the attack, but the force of the winds had knocked them off course. By the time it was over, Conner was in the air, Kikyo was in a tree and Talim was on the ground a few yards away.

"Easy." Kagura said with the outmost confidence. Talim got off the ground, dusted herself off and dashed at full speed towards Kagura. Naraku's incarnation jumped away and fired her tornado attack, whipping Talim away again. Kagura jumped on her feather and flew high into the sky, only to be met by Conner's attacks.

"Superboy, is it?" asked Kagura as she dodged his attacks.

"What's it to ya, lady?" he answered.

"Nothing, just wonde—OOF!"

Kagura fell to the ground after being punched by Conner. Immediately, a flying, glowing Sacred Arrow sent by Kikyo hit the ground near Kagura and sent her flying. She regained her footing on the feather.

"Nice going!" Kagura congratulated them as she clapped her hands "Very nice going."

Kikyo, Conner and Talim stared up at her, planning what to do next. As they did, three tornadoes came down and each took one of them, spinning them in great circles. Conner, being the only who could fly, managed to escape the funnels and immediately pressed an attack on Kagura. She was taken by surprise and knocked away, ending the tornado attack. The two girls flew down towards the ground. Talim made a little flip and landed on all fours. Kikyo, a bit shaken, landed into the waiting arms of Conner.

"Got you, Miss." he said while smiling.

Kikyo, a bit shocked, smiled back at him and you probably could've seen a hint of blush. He let her down gently and immediately raised her bow and arrow. Kagura, made as ever, unleashed a powerful wind attack at Talim, knocking her right into a lake. Kikyo launched her arrow but was blown away by the winds that Kagura conjured up. Then it was Conner's turn to attack as he raced at Kagura at high speeds, only to be launched into the air again.

"Nice try, kids. As long as I have my wind powers, nobody can touch me." Kagura boasted.

As soon as she finished her sentence, Kikyo's Sacred Arrow ripped through the ground under her and sent her flying. Conner took the opportunity to send her back into the ground to be finally blasted by Talim. As the smoke cleared, Kagura stood up in her tattered clothes. They were about to attack again when several bee-like insects dropped out of the sky and swarmed Kagura.

"Naraku's poison insects!" said Kikyo with surprise.

"What…?" Conner said bewildered.

Kagura's signature feather popped open and drifted into the sky along with the insects. Before leaving, she cried, "Nice time having fun with you, kids! Bye!" and soon she was out of sight.

Meanwhile, the three teenagers took a rest from their first team fight. Talim, fussing over that she hadn't pounded Kagura's face into the ground, didn't notice the small conversation between Conner and Kikyo.

"Thank you for saving me, Conner." Kikyo said quietly as she sat next to Conner.

"Oh, no problem, Kik." he said to her.

She seemed to be taken aback by what he had called her. Nobody in her entire lifetimes had called her a nickname other than "Lady" or "Priestess." She truly knew she was in a different time with different people. The girl was foolhardy, but devoted. The boy was full of good intentions and teenage angst. She felt old among them but hoped that will soon change.

"You are very powerful. You were graced with incredible powers, Conner and you use them well." Kikyo complemented him.

"Hey, I could say the same about you." said Conner as he returned the complement.

"DANG! DANG! DANG IT ALL! I had her and I blew it!" yelled Talim in a fury. She stomped the ground, making a small hole.

"Talim, you gotta chill. We'll get her next time." Conner tried to console her.

"He is right. Undoubtedly, it was not her true fight. I believe Naraku wanted to gauge our combined powers so he can have an advantage." explained Kikyo.

"Wait, what do you mean?" asked Talim.

"Well, obviously he's gonna kill us, so he needs to be absolutely sure about what we can do." Conner told her.

"Then we'd better start planning on some strategies. But for now, I'm hungry." said Talim as her stomach grumbled.

"Yes, I must admit that conflict did render me hungry." said Kikyo.

The priestess stood up and as she did, a big rip the size of a bowling ball was shown on the bottom part of her kimono. Conner looked away as Talim inspected it.

"Wow, you certainly were lucky, weren't we?" she said, tugging at it.

"These are my only clothes…" Kikyo said with a worried tone.

"Nothing to fear, my dear! This is the perfect opportunity to introduce you to Twenty-First Century culture! And what better place to start than the mall?" Talim said excitedly as she jumped up, taking Kikyo along with her.

"The what?" the confused priestess asked.

"The mall is where people from all around town come together and…well, you'll see when we get there."

"Well, ok then. If you say so." Kikyo said unsure.

"Hey, Superboy, are you coming?" Talim asked him.

"Uhhhh…I suppose I will…" he said.

"Great, let's go!" Talim said as she grabbed both of them and teleported.

After a small flash of light, the three appeared in a bleak alley. At first confused, Conner finally realized where they were.

"Great. Nice going, Talim." Conner said sneering at Talim.

"Hey, it's kinda hard to control, ya know." she said defending herself.

"Yeah sure, ok. Anyways, we're about a block away from the Metropolis Mall, so we can walk there."

As they walked out, Kikyo stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened with awe as she looked up at the massive skyscrapers. "Wow…" she said.

"Heh, almost forgot that she's never been in a city before, let alone a metropolis. Hey, Kikyo, you wanna see the entire city?" asked Conner.

Kikyo paused for a second and nodded. Conner picked her up and floated to the top of the nearest skyscraper. Awe took over Kikyo as she looked upon the city of Metropolis. He turned back to Conner was he eyed the Daily Planet building.

"Do you live here?" she asked him.

"Nah, I used to. But now I live back in Smallville." he answered.

"How many people live here?"

"About 12 million."

Her jaw dropped and she sighed. "You live in a magnificent time, Conner."

"I guess. We should get going." He picked up Kikyo and floated down to find Talim was already on her way to the mall.

"Here we are!" said Talim as they stopped outside a very large girl's fashion store. Kikyo looked at the windows then at the name of the store, which she obviously couldn't read.

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for…" started Kikyo but was then interrupted by Talim.

"Nonsense! Of course you're ready!" Talim wildly as she dragged her into the store.

"Right…" said Superboy, turning his heel and walked towards the arcade. About an hour later, after Conner lost all of his tokens on the driving machine, he returned to the store. Of course, he didn't go inside, but rather waited outside for the two girls to emerge.

A few minutes later, Talim came out alone and stood by the door with a very light smile on her face, as if to conceal a bigger smile trying to dig its way out.

"So?" asked Conner.

"I present to you, the new and improved Kikyo for the Twenty-First Century!" Talim exclaimed as she stepped out of the way for Kikyo.

Kikyo exited the store wearing low-cut red jeans and a white cloth tube-top. Her hair had been brushed back to remove any impediments of view. Kikyo lowered her head a little bit and looked at Conner.

"Whoa…" said Superboy, totally speechless at what he was witnessing. The girl was beautiful! Very beautiful! After a minute of staring, he smiled and got up. Kikyo blushed a little bit and said quietly, "What do you think?"

"You look nice." Conner muttered out. Kikyo blushed even more and nodded.

"Ok, anyways! We've got work to do! We've got to track down Naraku and…hey!" yelled Talim as the two continued to talk.

"Chill, Talim. We always have tomorrow." said Conner

Kagura, the wind sorceress, landed gently outside of Naraku's cave and peered inside. She swallowed hard and walked inside. As she looked, the cave was littered with pulsating chunks of multicolored flesh. They seemed to be connected to one source. Kagura followed the fleshy strands until she found Naraku, nearly bodiless if it weren't for the tentacle and other organs sticking out of his head. The powerful half-demon looked tired and exhausted with his eyes drooping ever so slowly to the ground. They instantly came up when Kagura entered.

"Weak, are we?" joked Kagura.

"Did you get what I needed?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good."

"If you don't mind me asking, why did you need me to do it?"

Naraku rose a little bit to tower over Kagura and said, "They are powerful together and I don't have the strength to separate them just yet. So I needed you to analyze their fighting skills. "

"Heh, why? I would've beaten them if you hadn't yanked me out of the fight."

"Each of the three has a unique quality that will soon be shown as they spend more time with each other. By the time we confront them, they will be mighty. We have to resume our hunt."

"For what?"

He looked at her with stone cold eyes. Then a tentacle shot out from Naraku to Kagura's head, digging deep into her temple. The tentacle pulsated as Kagura's eyes widened and made gurgling sounds.

"The Shikon Jewel, Kagura. I must have it if I am to destroy Kikyo and Superboy and bring in my bounty of one dead girl named Talim. That fool Darkseid doesn't know what power is in the complete jewel. As soon as I'm done with the kids, I will travel to his planet and defeat him. Using his world's resources, I will then conquer this world!" Naraku explained as his appendage drove itself out of Kagura's head and reentered Naraku's fleshy body.

Kagura shook her head and touched her temple. She eyed him and spat.

"Good plan, using the jewel to destroy those on earth, then the big guy on Apokolips. Of course, you've had centuries to plan this out."

"They are a very formidable team," said Naraku, analyzing what Kagura saw when she fought the trio "I will have to be careful. In the meantime, Kagura, keep an eye on them."

Kagura sighed and whipped around only to come head-to-hip with Kanna.

"Oh, and if you ever think about rebelling against me again, I will send you to a place far worse than death." said the exhausted Naraku.

Kagura sighed deeply as she escaped the reflection in Kanna's mirror and walked into the darkening sky.


	4. Crocodiles in the Sewers

_Act 4: Crocodiles in the Sewers_

Night began to creep over Metropolis as the three teenaged heroes left the Metropolis Mall. But they didn't leave quietly, of course, as they discussed what could be on Naraku's agenda. It would be obvious that he would be looking for the Shikon no Tama once more; it was a question of where the remaining shards where. More investigating would be required.

"…so tell me more about this jewel." asked the young male superhero.

"Well, the jewel was made a very long time ago by a powerful priestess like myself," started Kikyo "Its power comes from the souls of dead demons that the priestess purified. At the moment of her death, the jewel as we know it came into existence."

"But we'll need more recent info on the present whereabouts of the jewel." said Talim, looking up and down the glass windows of the women's department stores.

"We'll go to my hangout place then." Conner said.

"Where's that?"

"The North Pole."

"You must be joking."

"I'm serious." said Conner as he rose into the sky.

Talim looked at Kikyo with a strange expression as she picked up Kikyo, extended her wings and flew after Conner.

The three stood inside a gigantic, crystalline, ice cavern with gadgets, statues and columns as far as the eye can see. Strange monuments representing a lost world stood valiantly and the cold artic wind blew outside with a fierce fury to dissuade outsiders. Despite the grand size, they were the only three people here at the moment. Superboy approached the awestruck girls with a small grin.

"Welcome, ladies, to the Fortress of Solitude." he said.

"Wow…" said the girls, their necks cranked up to the ceiling.

"Of course, this place isn't mine." Conner said as he went over to a large computer office area.

"Then who's is it?" asked Kikyo.

"Superman's"

"You know Supe- Oh, yeah, duh. Superboy. Superman." Talim said correcting herself.

Conner Kent sat in front of the monitor and proceded to type in "Shikon no Tama" into the computer. Two second passed before files referencing many famous jewels and artifacts such as the Amulet of Doctor Fate and the Materioptikon which belonged to Doctor Destiny, appeared in great numbers. Among them was the Jewel of Four Souls, complete with info, images and history.

"Okay, here you go, girls." said Conner, leaning back on the chair. Talim looked closer at the screen and read the text.

"Well, supposedly after the jewel was shattered for the second time, all references disappeared and the Shikon Jewel was forgotten in history. Recently, people have attempted to find the shards but resources have stated that the pieces have either been destroyed…or re-collected. Uh-oh, do you think the jewel was collected again? And if so, by whom? I'll give you one good guess."

"No, I don't think anyone has completely restored the jewel yet." said Kikyo.

"And how would you know that?" asked a skeptical Talim.

Kikyo reached for her neck and pulled out a small, pink crystal shard. "I need three of these to live."

In the skies above Gotham City, a small whirlwind began to form. The whirlwind floated down until it touched the ground of a small, dark, damp alley. It was nearly midnight and the only sounds were a few passing cars and the occasional distant gunshot. Gotham City was not a place for everyone, but Kagura would try her luck. She stepped out of the whirlwind and looked around. It was silent and dark but it's not she hadn't experienced it before. Why had Naraku sent her here? she wondered. Oh yeah, to find this Croc guy, whoever he was. Apparently, he had made a deal with Naraku, like everyone does. Kagura made her way down into a sewer, almost getting lost in the wet maze. After walking for 10 minutes, she found herself in the lair of Killer Croc.

"Croc?" she asked the gigantic reptilian monster man.

"You the broad?" he asked.

"Erm…sure. I have what you want."

"You positive this'll make me stronger?"

"Of course."

Kagura took out the small shard and placed in her palm. She recited a small chant and then handed it to the giant.

"All you have to do is get inside you somehow." she said to him.

"No problem!" said Croc as he swallowed the shard. Kagura looked surprised but then smirked. She then turned around and started to leave.

"Remember, if the kids come, get rid of them."

"You got it."

"Thanks. Goodbye." she said and with that, she left the sewers of Gotham City.

Kikyo showed the jewel shards to the two kids and then reinserted them back into her neck. She had a look of shame and embarrassment as she looked away.

"Why didn't you tell us that you had jewel shards?" exclaimed Talim.

"Easy now, Talim, can we use those shards to look for the others?" asked Conner?

Lady Kikyo nodded and retook one shard out of her neck and placed on a nearby table. Talim sat across from were Kikyo took her seat, eyeing the shard of the Shikon no Tama. It glowed a bright pink in her green eyes. Finally, after years of searching, it was here in front of her…

"We can use a small ritual that can locate the other shards. All we have to do is concentrate on this shard's power and it'll reveal the closest shard to us. Miss Vondor, if you will help me please." explained Kikyo.

"Talim, just call me Talim."

"Yes, of course."

Kikyo took Talim's hands and looked deeply into the shard. Upon seeing this, Talim did the same as her. The priestess instructed her to focus her energies onto the shard. Seconds later, the two were consumed into purple light. Their hands clamped tighter unto each other as both gritting their teeth in deep concentration. Both their eyes glew and shone simultaneously with the shard. Conner like along with awe until they glowing stopped and the girls backed off, huffing and puffing.

"…you get anything?" asked Conner

"G-G-Gotham City."

It was 9 PM and low clouds hung over the darkened city as the three appeared atop a building. Kikyo looked out across Gotham City at some of the recognizable landmarks such as police headquarters, Wayne Tower and, in the distance, the notorious Arkham Asylum where Gotham's worst and most insane criminals went after they were caputured.

"What a dreadful place," said Kikyo "This is nothing like Metropolis."

"Yep, that's true. Gotham has a problem with crime and whatnot. It's been going down the toilet for awhile now." Talim commented "You might wanna avoid the alleyways at night."

Kikyo nodded and looked up at the dark sky. Slowly moving across the clouds was an oval-shaped light with the image of a bat in the middle. The light was being projected from somewhere not too far away.

"What's that?" asked Kikyo as she pointed to the light.

"Just a signal. My friend is at work right now." said a smirking Conner as he followed Talim down the building.

"Who?"

"I'll tell you later."

Talim led the way down the sidewalks while Kikyo and Conner followed close behind. The streets were almost empty except for a few homeless and shopkeepers closing up for the night. _Amazing, _thought Kikyo, _Even with all this advanced knowledge, humanity still faces the same problems as before. _

She turned her attention away from them and too Talim.

_This girl, she too was affected by Naraku. Must everyone suffer because of him? That's why I'm on this mission, to destroy him. I only hope I can help her out. _

Kikyo then took a glance at Conner as he was minding the tall skyscrapers. _But he wasn't affected by him in any such way, though. Why does he help us? Pity? No, he thinks there's someone else behind this but… then why go to such lengths to stay and fight with us? I can sense greatness and such compassion I've never felt before in anybody. He cares…for other people. Is that why…?_

"Hey Kikyo!" yelled Talim to the priestess "Hurry up!"

"Oh…forgive me…I must've been daydreaming…" Kikyo admitted, looking away from her. Talim then stomped off ahead of them.

"Hey, you ok?" Conner asked Kikyo.

"Yes…please don't worry…I'll be fine."

"Worry about what?"

"Nothing. Let's catch up, shall we?"

The two caught up with the red head as she stared down a dark alleyway.

"What is it?" asked Conner.

"I heard something…"

"The jewel shard! It's down there!" Kikyo inquired.

A footstep, then another. The sound of a trashcan being pushed aside was heard before a loud, reptilian growl. Nails scratched the walls as the three kids backed up.

"What is that?" asked Talim.

Finally, out of the shadows, came the Croc. A large, towering, powerful man-reptile who looked it was ready to eat. He eyed each of the teens like a raptor to its prey. Despite the appearance, Croc's movements were in everyway human.

"Alright, kids, give 'em up!" said Croc.

"Killer Croc! You made a deal with Naraku?" asked Conner.

"Ol' spidey? Yeah, I did. He said after I got through with you that I'd be able to turn back to normal, as opposed to be being…ya know, this." the Croc said, looking up and down his body.

He got closer to the three and growled loudly. The stink of the sewer was strong in him, appalling sensitive Talim.

"Naraku tells you lies! He will not help you!" Kikyo told Croc.

"Sorry, babe. Business is business!" said Croc as he swiped at her.

She dodged and readied her arrow. Talim shot a blast, only to be whipped back at her by Croc's mighty tail. Conner was able to land a blow that knocked him into a garbage can. The reptile got up and dusted himself off.

"Got some punch there, kid." he said.

Blam! Croc punched Conner away into a nearby car. Kikyo released her Sacred Arrow which struck Croc in his left shoulder. He wailed but retaliated by throwing a lamppost at her which knocked her into a store window. Talim, who had been charging up her attack, finally let it go at the reptile man. The purple energy attack smashed into the ground right in front of Croc, sending him soaring into the night sky. As he struggled to regain his balance, Conner slammed into him in midair. The two fell onto a semi truck parked in the street, Out of the wreckage, Conner picked up the beaten Croc and threw him into the street.

"You're done, Croc. Give up the Jewel Shard." said Conner.

"I'm… not beaten yet, kids!" he exclaimed.

He moved his scaly claw to his neck and pressed it. A bright flash emitted through the street as Croc grew in size. He growled in pain and excitement, pounding the pavement and rocking the buildings around him and the teens. They backed off as the creature roared and then eyed them.

"I told you it was business. But I'm going to enjoy this very much." he said in a much more menacing voice. He was twice the size he was before with spikes penetrating from his skin. His eyes were blood red and his claws were even longer. Kikyo commented that he smelled like the jewel shard. Croc smirked as she said it.

"Man! This is…insane! The power! Man, oh man, the power! I'm more powerful than ever! Nobody will ever stop me!" he wildly said as he tested his newfound powers, which included fire breath and increased speed.

"We will not let you get away, monster!" yelled Kikyo as she let fly her arrow. Croc dodged the arrow and made a swipe for Kikyo, which was deflected by Conner. He was thrown back into a wall while Talim blasted him several times, all to no effect. She, too, was knocked away. Kikyo was the only one left standing.

"You think you can take me, girl?" Croc asked Kikyo.

"I've defeated demons more powerful than you." she stubbornly said.

"Oh yeah?" he said as he blew his flame breath at her. Kikyo's mystical barrier deflected the attack and pressed her own attack with several swipes and kicks. Sadly, the attacks were no effect on the much superior Killer Croc.

"Hehehehe! See? Nothing you can do can beat me!" laughed Croc.

Kikyo sighed and lowered her bow and arrow. Conner cried out from the wall to what she was doing. The reptile laughed and said, "No more? Ok then!"

He swiped his mighty claw at the priestess. With great speed, she dodged the swipe, lifted her bow and arrow and fired it at where the jewel shard was located on his body. The arrow bounced off the jewel, breaking it into two pieces. Without the energies from the jewel, the reptile man withered away back to his original form; the shock of the sudden loss knocked him unconscious. Kikyo sighed and walked over to her two teammates.

"Wow, never knew you could do something like that." said Talim, smirking a little. Conner nodded along and said, "Nice going."

The priestess blushed a bit and looked back over the fallen Croc. She picked up the two Jewel Shards and placed it in her pocket.

"What do we do with him?" she asked, pointing to Croc.

"My friend will take care of him." Conner said,

There they left him, tied him up to a pole with a sign that read, "Bats, got you a present. From, Superboy."

_Act 3_

The wind sorceress Kagura flew through the air with intent on what Naraku had assigned her to do next. She was to meet with Darkseid's associate and report back to Naraku. Kagura hated whenever he made her do this; it was a waste of her time. But as long as she was bound to him, she had no choice. She flew over some mountains in what seemed to look like the California coastline. The waves crashed and the cool breeze blew over her hair as she landed by a small thicket.

"Well, this is were that guy's supposed to meet me." she sighed "Ok, now where is he?"

Then, suddenly, behind her was a loud booming noise that nearly knocked her over. She turned around to see that a Boom Tube had opened up behind her. Out of the translucent tunnel flew a man on a strange craft with an equally strange, green helmet. He stepped off the craft and saluted.

"So, you must be that guy my boss told me about." said Kagura.

"I guess I must. My name is Steppenwolf and haven't much time. " he said.

"So what do you want?"

"My boss wants to know why you guys are taking to so long in killing the half demon."

"Naraku just works that way"

"Lord Darkseid doesn't like to wait."

"Why's he do interested in killing her anyways?"

"I don't know really. He would only spend this much effort in killing one person if they were a threat to his power. "

"So this Talim girl is a powerful half demon? Ha! Yeah right!"

"Yeah whatever, Anyways, just tell Naraku to hurry up. He was one month to get it over with." And with that, Steppenwolf got into his craft, opened a Boom Tube and disappeared into the tunnel.

"One month is too long. I'll have to make my move now if I want to be free from that monster. Don't worry, Steppenwolf, the demon will be dead and so will Naraku." she said smiling as she flew off.

The sound of roosters awoke Conner Kent from his deep sleep. He looked outside at the Kansas sunrise and looked at the clock. It was 6 in the morning. Deciding to take a shower, he headed to the bathroom. After awhile, he came down and greeting his aunt and uncle.

"Morning, Aunt Martha. Morning, Uncle Jon." he said as he took the orange juice his aunt handed to him.

"So where are your new friends?" asked Martha.

"They're at Talim's cabin." he said as he finished the juice and grabbed a small TV "I'm heading there right now."

"Don't get into too much trouble!" yelled Jon as Conner flew away.

The nice, cool, morning air breezed over Kikyo as she walked in the forest near the cabin. Kikyo was used to the forest as she spent most of her time in one. The cabin came back into view and headed towards it. She entered and saw Talim eating breakfast on the one table.

"Where've you been?" she asked her.

"Just out for a walk." answered a soft spoken Kikyo.

"You should tell me these things before you go."

"I didn't want to wake you."

Talim rolled her eyes and got back to her breakfast. Kikyo eyed her for a bit. Here was this girl who didn't seem to care much for her or even the boy. But she goes to great lengths to get vengeance and to claim the Shikon jewel shards.

_She cares great about her friends, _thought Kikyo _And when Naraku killed them, it devastated her deeply. Now, she's afraid of having anymore._

"Talim?" said Kikyo.

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss your friends and brother?"

Talim stopped eating and looked down. She then immediately got up and walked to the other side of the cabin.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't!"

Kikyo walked over to her. Talim hid her face from her.

"Is that why you're so angry all the time? Are you afraid of having friends again?"

"Shut up!" yelled Talim as she pushed Kikyo down "You have no right to talk about past!"

"I just wanted to hel-" started Kikyo, but then she was slapped by Talim. Kikyo looked away as she held the spot where she was slapped. Talim ran outside to the porch. Kikyo got up and went over to the door.

"Get away me." said Talim.

"You get anywhere by being mad at everyone."

Talim whipped around only to be greeted by Kikyo's bow and arrow.

"But I still must be prepared. You are a demon, after all."

They met eye to eye, not one of them budging. Then suddenly, Talim smacked the bow away and punched Kikyo in the stomach.

"I told you not to!" Talim yelled and Kikyo.

Kikyo then kicked Talim away, causing her to go tumbling down the porch. Kikyo regained her bow and pointed it at Talim. Talim got up with her hands blazing with demonic energy.

"Stupid priestess!" yelled Talim.

"I was only trying to help!"

"Why?"

"Because that's what friends do!"

"Who said you were my friend?"

Then they launched their attacks, neither of them hitting the other. When all the dust cleared, Conner was flat on the ground.

"Owwwww…" moaned Conner as he took an arrow out of his left arm.

"Kent! What are you doing here?" said a bewildered Talim.

"Looking for you girls! What the heck are you doing?" he asked.

"Nothing. Just tell the priestess here to leave me alone!" said Talim.

Conner got up and looked at them both, then down to the hole in his arm.

"That looks bad. Let me take a look at that." said Kikyo. She took him by the arm and led him inside.

"Oh sure! Take her side!" whined Talim.

"I'm taking anyone's side. There's a freakin' hole in my arm! The least you can do is to help Kikyo."

Talim sighed, nodded and went in.

Conner sat on a chair and pulled up his bloody sleeve. The hole had shrunk to half its size and had stopped bleeding.

"What?" asked Kikyo.

"My body works differently than yours, Can you grab me a towel?" he said.

Kikyo got up and left to the bathroom as Talim sat next to him and eyed him. Conner looked over at her, looked away and looked back. She sneered at him.

"What?" he said.

"Way to make her like you."

"I'm not making anyone like me!"

"Sure! Look at the way she looks at you! It's all blushing and light staring with you."

"Yeah right."

Talim looked over at the bathroom and then looked back at Conner.

"It's true." she said as she smiled evily.

"She's a Japanese priestess from the feudal era! What makes you think she'll like me?"

"It's that shim-, um, shill, uh…"

"Chivalry?"

"Yeah that! Chivalry. They loved that stuff back then. Not today though, since girls are more liberated these days. I know I wouldn't want a chivalrous guy." Talim boasted.

"Yeah, like any guy would want you…" Conner whispered.

"WHAT?"

"Nothing." Conner smiled.

Kikyo came back out with the towel and handed it to him, who cleaned up the blood on his arm.

"Hey, I thought, like, you were, like, invulnerable." asked Talim.

"Well, Kikyo's a priestess. It's some form of magic she practices. I have no defense against magic." he shrugged.

"If you don't mind me asking," said a quiet Kikyo "but what are your abilites?"

Conner placed the towel on the table and stood up. He grabbed a knife of the counter and handed it to Kikyo.

"Stab me."

She arched an eyebrow and looked at him. He nodded to her to do it. Her arm flew through the air and landed the knife on his chest. The metal of the knife shattered, sending many tiny pieces across the cabin. Conner stood there, as if nothing happened.

"Boy of Steel." said Talim.

Kikyo smiled and asked, "Anything else?"

He led them outside, where he told them to stay by the door.

"My strength and my heat vision." he said. He then uprooted a nearby tree and flung into the air. Conner stared at it, and then red heat beams escaped from his eyes, reducing the tree to ashes.

"Impressive!" said Kikyo.

"Yeah, but enough playing. Let's go back inside and plan what to do next."

Conner brought out the small TV and placed it on the table. He flipped to a news station and left it there.

"Any ideas?" asked Talim. The two other kids waved their head.

"Can't you try that shard finder spell thing you two tried last time?" asked Conner.

"It taxes your energy a whole bunch. We have to wait a day for it to recharge. A lucky for us, we have an hour left." explained Talim as Kikyo nodded.

"So we just wait here then?"

Talim nodded. Conner sighed and rested back. Kikyo looked around the room.

"I'm going to the can." she said as she headed to the bathroom. The door slammed and a news report came on. Conner's widened and turned up the volume.

"The people of San Francisco owe their thanks today to the superhero group known as the Teen Titans. Just a little while ago, the Golden Gate Bridge was attacked by an unknown being with a hood. Fortunately, this mysterious figure was thwarted by the Titans. The figure disappeared, but the bridge and the people on it were saved. More as it comes."

Kikyo looked at the screen and saw the teenagers in the fight. There was boy in a red suit, black and yellow cape and black mask apparently leading the group. A green boy and then suddenly, a green bird. An orange girl with flaming hair. The boy that was half metal and then a blonde girl with the red suit and lasso. She looked at the expression on Conner's face; it was full of remorse. He stood up and walked to the window.

_He was part of them once, anyone can tell that. But something happened with them. Somebody did something bad to one another. Shall I ask him? He does seem more level-headed than the redheaded one. Here goes…_

"Conner?" she asked him.

"Yes?"

"…You knew them didn't you?"

"…yeah." Sad Conner as he walked to the door.

Kikyo looked at him and thought, _I guess he has problems too. He isn't as cheerful as he seems. This boy is more resilient than anyone I've ever met. I think there's more than just the problem with his friends. _

"May I ask what happened?"

Conner turned around and looked at her. "I attacked them, you happy?"

"You…did? So is that why you're no longer with them?"

Conner nodded and looked at Talim, who had just walked out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I've always wondered why I never saw you with them anymore. Why'd you do it?" asked Talim.

"It was my fault entirely. I was under mind control. It's just that… ah, whatever. Point is I left them."

Kikyo looked away then at Talim, who had a small smirk on her face.

"What's so funny?"

"She pries a lot, don't she?"

Conner looked at Kikyo then back at Talim. He then shook his head.

"Well, today's your lucky day, Wonder Boy. You've just joined my little ragtag team here." said Talim.

Kikyo's eyes lit up. 'Wait, we're a team?"

"Well, yeah, even though we've a got a nosey priestess and a clueless superhero." said Talim.

"…and an annoying half-demon." Conner said under his breath.

"WHAT?"

"Nothing."

Kikyo walked over to the both of them.


	5. One Jewel, One Team

_Act 5: One Jewel, One Team_

The wind sorceress Kagura flew through the air with intent on what Naraku had assigned her to do next. She was to meet with Darkseid's associate and report back to Naraku. Kagura hated whenever he made her do this; it was a waste of her time. But as long as she was bound to him, she had no choice. She flew over some mountains in what seemed to look like the California coastline. The waves crashed and the cool breeze blew over her hair as she landed by a small thicket.

"Well, this is where that guy's supposed to meet me." she sighed "Ok, now where is he?"

Then, suddenly, behind her was a loud booming noise that nearly knocked her over. She turned around to see that a Boom Tube had opened up behind her. Out of the translucent tunnel flew a man on a strange craft with an equally strange, green helmet. He stepped off the craft and saluted.

"So, you must be that guy my boss told me about." said Kagura.

"I guess I must. My name is Steppenwolf and haven't much time. " he said.

"So what do you want?"

"My boss wants to know why you guys are taking to so long in killing the half demon."

"Naraku just works that way"

"Lord Darkseid doesn't like to wait."

"Why's he do interested in killing her anyways?"

"I don't know really. He would only spend this much effort in killing one person if they were a threat to his power. "

"So this Talim girl is a powerful half demon? Ha! Yeah, right!"

"Yeah whatever, Anyways, just tell Naraku to hurry up. He was one month to get it over with." And with that, Steppenwolf got into his craft, opened a Boom Tube and disappeared into the tunnel.

"One month is too long. I'll have to make my move now if I want to be free from that monster. Don't worry, Steppenwolf, the demon will be dead and so will Naraku." she said smiling as she flew off.

The sound of roosters awoke Conner Kent from his deep sleep. He looked outside at the Kansas sunrise and looked at the clock. It was 6 in the morning. Deciding to take a shower, he headed to the bathroom. After awhile, he came down and greeting his aunt and uncle.

"Morning, Aunt Martha. Morning, Uncle Jon." he said as he took the orange juice his aunt handed to him.

"So where are your new friends?" asked Martha.

"They're at Talim's cabin." he said as he finished the juice and grabbed a small TV "I'm heading there right now."

"Don't get into too much trouble!" yelled Jon as Conner flew away.

The nice, cool, morning air breezed over Kikyo as she walked in the forest near the cabin. Kikyo was used to the forest as she spent most of her time in one. The cabin came back into view and headed towards it. She entered and saw Talim eating breakfast on the one table.

"Where've you been?" she asked her.

"Just out for a walk." answered a soft spoken Kikyo.

"You should tell me these things before you go."

"I didn't want to wake you."

Talim rolled her eyes and got back to her breakfast. Kikyo eyed her for a bit. Here was this girl who didn't seem to care much for her or even the boy. But she goes to great lengths to get vengeance and to claim the Shikon jewel shards.

_She cares great about her friends, _thought Kikyo _And when Naraku killed them, it devastated her deeply. Now, she's afraid of having anymore._

"Talim?" said Kikyo.

"Yeah?"

"Do you miss your friends and brother?"

Talim stopped eating and looked down. She then immediately got up and walked to the other side of the cabin.

"What is it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't!!"

Kikyo walked over to her. Talim hid her face from her.

"Is that why you're so angry all the time? Are you afraid of having friends again?"

"Shut up!!" yelled Talim as she pushed Kikyo down "You have no right to talk about past!!!"

"I just wanted to hel-" started Kikyo, but then she was slapped by Talim. Kikyo looked away as she held the spot where she was slapped. Talim ran outside to the porch. Kikyo got up and went over to the door.

"Get away me." said Talim.

"You get anywhere by being mad at everyone."

Talim whipped around only to be greeted by Kikyo's bow and arrow.

"But I still must be prepared. You are a demon, after all."

They met eye to eye, not one of them budging. Then suddenly, Talim smacked the bow away and punched Kikyo in the stomach.

"I told you not to!" Talim yelled and Kikyo.

Kikyo then kicked Talim away, causing her to go tumbling down the porch. Kikyo regained her bow and pointed it at Talim. Talim got up with her hands blazing with demonic energy.

"Stupid priestess!" yelled Talim.

"I was only trying to help!"

"Why?"

"Because that's what friends do!"

"Who said you were my friend???"

Then they launched their attacks, neither of them hitting the other. When all the dust cleared, Conner was flat on the ground.

"Owwwww…" moaned Conner as he took an arrow out of his left arm.

"Kent! What are you doing here?" said a bewildered Talim.

"Looking for you girls! What the heck are you doing??" he asked.

"Nothing. Just tell the priestess here to leave me alone!" said Talim.

Conner got up and looked at them both, then down to the hole in his arm.

"That looks bad. Let me take a look at that." said Kikyo. She took him by the arm and led him inside.

"Oh sure! Take her side!" whined Talim.

"I'm taking anyone's side. There's a freakin' hole in my arm! The least you can do is to help Kikyo."

Talim sighed, nodded and went in.

Conner sat on a chair and pulled up his bloody sleeve. The hole had shrunk to half its size and had stopped bleeding.

"What?" asked Kikyo.

"My body works differently than yours, Can you grab me a towel?" he said.

Kikyo got up and left to the bathroom as Talim sat next to him and eyed him. Conner looked over at her, looked away and looked back. She sneered at him.

"What????" he said.

"Way to make her like you."

"I'm not making anyone like me!!!"

"Sure! Look at the way she looks at you! It's all blushing and light staring with you."

"Yeah right."

Talim looked over at the bathroom and then looked back at Conner.

"It's true." she said as she smiled evily.

"She's a Japanese priestess from the feudal era! What makes you think she'll like me?"

"It's that shim-, um, shill, uh…"

"Chivalry?"

"Yeah that! Chivalry. They loved that stuff back then. Not today though, since girls are more liberated these days. I know I wouldn't want a chivalrous guy." Talim boasted.

"Yeah, like any guy would want you…" Conner whispered.

"WHAT??"

"Nothing." Conner smiled.

Kikyo came back out with the towel and handed it to him, who cleaned up the blood on his arm.

"Hey, I thought, like, you were, like, invulnerable." asked Talim.

"Well, Kikyo's a priestess. It's some form of magic she practices. I have no defense against magic." he shrugged.

"If you don't mind me asking," said a quiet Kikyo "but what are your abilites?"

Conner placed the towel on the table and stood up. He grabbed a knife of the counter and handed it to Kikyo.

"Stab me."

She arched an eyebrow and looked at him. He nodded to her to do it. Her arm flew through the air and landed the knife on his chest. The metal of the knife shattered, sending many tiny pieces across the cabin. Conner stood there, as if nothing happened.

"Boy of Steel." said Talim.

Kikyo smiled and asked, "Anything else?"

He led them outside, where he told them to stay by the door.

"My strength and my heat vision." he said. He then uprooted a nearby tree and flung into the air. Conner stared at it, and then red heat beams escaped from his eyes, reducing the tree to ashes.

"Impressive!" said Kikyo.

"Yeah, but enough playing. Let's go back inside and plan what to do next."

Conner brought out the small TV and placed it on the table. He flipped to a news station and left it there.

"Any ideas?" asked Talim. The two other kids waved their head.

"Can't you try that shard finder spell thing you two tried last time?" asked Conner.

"It taxes your energy a whole bunch. We have to wait a day for it to recharge. A lucky for us, we have an hour left." explained Talim as Kikyo nodded.

"So we just wait here then?"

Talim nodded. Conner sighed and rested back. Kikyo looked around the room.

"I'm going to the can." she said as she headed to the bathroom. The door slammed and a news report came on. Conner's widened and turned up the volume.

"The people of San Francisco owe their thanks today to the superhero group known as the Teen Titans. Just a little while ago, the Golden Gate Bridge was attacked by an unknown being with a hood. Fortunately, this mysterious figure was thwarted by the Titans. The figure disappeared, but the bridge and the people on it were saved. More as it comes."

Kikyo looked at the screen and saw the teenagers in the fight. There was boy in a red suit, black and yellow cape and black mask apparently leading the group. A green boy and then suddenly, a green bird. An orange girl with flaming hair. The boy that was half metal and then a blonde girl with the red suit and lasso. She looked at the expression on Conner's face; it was full of remorse. He stood up and walked to the window.

_He was part of them once, anyone can tell that. But something happened with them. Somebody did something bad to one another. Shall I ask him? He does seem more level-headed than the redheaded one. Here goes…_

"Conner?" she asked him.

"Yes?"

"…You knew them didn't you?"

"…yeah." Sad Conner as he walked to the door.

Kikyo looked at him and thought, _I guess he has problems too. He isn't as cheerful as he seems. This boy is more resilient than anyone I've ever met. I think there's more than just the problem with his friends. _

"May I ask what happened?"

Conner turned around and looked at her. "I attacked them, you happy?"

"You…did? So is that why you're no longer with them?"

Conner nodded and looked at Talim, who had just walked out of the bathroom.

"Yeah, I've always wondered why I never saw you with them anymore. Why'd you do it?" asked Talim.

"It was my fault entirely. I was under mind control. It's just that… ah, whatever. Point is I left them."

Kikyo looked away then at Talim, who had a small smirk on her face.

"What's so funny?"

"She pries a lot, don't she?"

Conner looked at Kikyo then back at Talim. He then shook his head.

"Well, today's your lucky day, Wonder Boy. You've just joined my little ragtag team here." said Talim.

Kikyo's eyes lit up. 'Wait, we're a team?"

"Well, yeah, even though we've a got a nosey priestess and a clueless superhero." said Talim.

"…and an annoying half-demon." Conner said under his breath.

"WHAT???"

"Nothing."

Kikyo walked over to the both of them. She nodded to Talim and looked to Conner as did Talim.

"So you joining us or are you too much of a superhero?" asked Talim

Conner smiled and said, "Eh, I've never been part of a trio before. I'll try it out."

Kikyo smiled. Even in this time, she still wasn't alone. She had her mission, but she also had two new friends to help her out.

Talim nodded. She was a little scared at the concept of new friends and fighting Naraku. But she knew she would never let him do that to her again.

Conner smiled a bit. This was his chance to redeem himself after what he did to his friends. These girls would be his guides and partners.

"So, Talim, let's find the Jewel Shard."

Kagura stood against a wall alongside Kanna as Naraku reformed himself into regular form. Naraku looked at his two servants and then looked outside.

"We're in a new time, ladies. That means adapting to what will work. For this time, what do all people rely on?" asked Naraku.

"Myspace?" asked Kagura.

"No. It's machines. People today need machines to help them out. We will use them to help us out. They're a great conduit to channel my energy."

"So how do they fit into our plan?"

"In due time, my servant. Is my shipment ready to be sent?"

"Yeah. They've just finished it."

"Good. Then my plan is almost complete." Naraku sneered.


	6. Like Parts in a Machine

_Act 6: Like Parts in a Machine_

Near Star City, California, there lay a factory. Not just any factory, but a mechanics factory that belonged to the old Queen Industries. For years, it churned out top-of-the-line machines and mechanics that was distributed. After the death of Oliver Queen and the fallout of his company, it lay abandoned; its technology forgotten. Then one day, a light went on in the factory. The dust covered machines started to turn once again. No one knew how, since everybody forgot it was there. Stories soon popped up that demons were running rampant in the factory, and in a sense, that was what was happening.

"Ok, stand back, Wonderboy."

Conner rolled his eyes and stood back as the jewel locator ritual started once again. The familiar purple aura filled the innards of the cabin as Kikyo and Talim struggled to locate the remaining jewel shard. Energy erupted from both of the girls until, in a flash, it was gone. Talim fell over on the ground and struggled to get up. Kikyo, who was still on the table, sighed heavily and looked over at them.

"It's…Star City." said Talim.

"Rest a bit, you two. In a few hours, we head west."

The sun was starting to set as the trio headed over the Nevada desert to California. Half of the sky was a deep red orange and the other half was a dark purple. Both the girls loved the sunset. To them, there was something calming about it. Kikyo loved the calm and beauty of a brilliant sunset and, here in the Western United States, it was even more beautiful as it melded with the orange of the desert floor. Talim was just the opposite of Kikyo. She preferred the upcoming darkness of night. It was the start of the mystery hours where anything could happen. Besides, purple was her favorite color. Conner didn't understand girls' fascination with sunsets or things of beauty, for that matter. To him, it was just a sunset. It's just one of the many mysteries that lurked in the mind of a girl, he told himself.

The desert gave way to fields of grass, then highways, then green forests. Darkness had covered the West Coast and, in the distance, the lights of Star City shone with brilliance. To Kikyo, it was a new beauty to experience. It was new, but great nonetheless as the yellows and reds disappeared into darkness. The three landed in a small clearing in the middle of a forest. Kikyo felt oddly at home here. She looked over at her two companions. They argued at why they had to fly instead of teleport, or something. She really didn't care. Then, she felt it! It was faint, but it was there.

"Um…friends?" she said faintly.

The two kept arguing as the conversation somehow shifted into insulting each others mothers. Kikyo called out once more, but was still overwhelmed by Conner's loud voice and Talim's even louder voice. She tried once more, but still, nothing. She then paused, took a deep breath and…

"FRIENDS!!!" she yelled. She paused immediately and looked down. The two bickering teens suddenly stopped and looked at the priestess.

"The jewel shard is near. We should get going." Kikyo said in her usual soft, lonely voice.

Conner and Talim looked at each other and then followed her into the dark woods. Kikyo led the way as she weaved in between the tall, think trees. It was unusually silent for this type of night. Very few animals could be heard.

"Long way from home, huh?" said Conner as he caught up with the priestess.

"Not quite." she answered.

"So, how can you feel the jewel shards?" he asked her.

"It was years of practice. I've been protecting it since I was a child."

"So you can say you have a bond with it."

"You can. I know spells that connects me with it."

Conner nodded and stopped. In front of them loomed a gigantic factory. The outside looked like it had been abandoned for years, but the lights and noise of machinery indicated that it was alive and well.

"Queen Industries?" asked Talim as she read the outside sign "I thought they went out of business?"

"They did." said Conner. He approached the giant double door entrance to the factory.

"What is it?" asked Talim.

"There are people in there…wait…not people…"

"Not people. Demons." said Kikyo.

Conner smashed the door in. In the middle of the factory floor was a gigantic machine that reached to the ceiling. All around it were repulsive creatures adding parts to the machine. There was one in particular that caught the attention of the group. It was a shirtless humanoid demon with long brown hair and a spider-shaped scar on its back. He was apparently the one giving the orders. As soon as the doors came in, all the creatures turned to look at the three teenagers standing in the doorway.

"Ah," said the shirtless demon "I was expecting you to come."

"It's one of Naraku's incarnations!" exclaimed Kikyo.

The shirtless demon approached them.

"Of course I am. You may call me Muso. But I doubt you'll be alive long enough to use it." he said as the creatures headed towards them.

"Oh hey, hey. Why is it always fighting with us? Can't we just sit and talk about this?" Conner said.

Suddenly, heat vision shot through the ranks of the creatures, incinerating them instantly. Talim leapt into action; her demonic energy blasts ripping apart the creatures. Kikyo let her arrows fly towards the ranks of the creatures.

"Kikyo, what are these things?" asked Conner,

"They're demons!" she said as her arrows pierced the demons heading towards them; their blood splattering over the ground.

"Yikes." he said as he heaved large metal cans at the flying demons.

Talim made her way over to Muso, who was observing the fray from above the machine.

"You!" she yelled "I'm gonna kill you!"

Muso smiled and extended his arm out, smacking her back down to the battle.

"What was that?" he yelled "You were going to kill me?"

Talim hit the floor with a thud. Swarms of demons were upon her and would've devoured her if the alien lasers from the super-powered teenage hero hadn't scorched them to ashes. Kikyo was having better luck with the demons. She's been fending them off for years and knows how they think and work. Kikyo cut a path in between the demons that headed straight to Muso.

"Friends, please distract the demons for me! I shall take care of Naraku's incarnation." she yelled as she made her up on top of the machine, her bow and arrow ready in hand.

"Yeah, no problem!" said Conner as he punched away a demon.

Kikyo stared down Muso with absolute hatred. She hated everything and everyone that came in contact with Naraku. Muso smiled a bit.

"You're different than the last incarnation." said Kikyo.

"Yeah, well he was a weakling. I'm somebody Naraku can trust." he said with pride.

"What does Naraku want with this thing?" she asked.

"I can only say that he's planning something big very soon, priestess."

Kikyo cracked a barely noticeable smile and let her arrow fly. The shining pink arrow ripped Muso's body in half, letting the upper part fall to the factory floor. The bottom extended itself to catch the upper torso and melded with it. By the time it had reached the top of the machine, Muso was back to normal.

"My turn."

Muso extended an arm at Kikyo. She rolled away and ripped out another arrow. The shape-shifter moved out of the way knocked Kikyo to the edge of the machine. She hung on for dear life as Muso made his way to her.

"Well, my lady, is that all you've got?" he asked her.

Kikyo looked down and then looked back up. She then let go and fell towards the floor. Muso, surprised, then looked over the edge. What he saw was a flying priestess. No, not exactly a flying priestess as he thought at first. She was in the air heading towards him, but as he looked closer, the muscular shape of Conner was grabbing her by the waist and leading her to the top of the machine. Conner pulled his arm back and tossed Kikyo at Muso, using the bottom of her bow to slash his head in half. Kikyo landed behind him on her two feet.

"Conner, get your ass down here!" Talim yelled out to him.

He nodded and flew down to the battling redhead. Conner fried some nearby demons and landed next to her.

"We have to hurry, Talim. Kikyo won't hold out much longer against Muso." he said.

Talim took a quick peek at the fight near the ceiling of the factory where Kikyo took the brunt of one of Muso's swipes.

"You're right, Conner. Hurry up!"

"Hey, you called me Conner."

"Don't get used to it."

Talim and Conner jumped next to each other and blasted away the remaining demons. Kikyo sliced away at Muso's oncoming tentacles. She managed to get on top of the shape-shifter and fire an arrow directly into his head, blowing it to pieces. The body fell off the machine and hit the ground. Kikyo sighed heavily and looked down.

"Nice going, priestess!" yelled out Talim. Conner flew up to Kikyo and gave her a lift down. All three stared at the body of Muso.

"Well, that takes care of it! Where's the jewel shard?" asked Talim.

"It's in there." said Kikyo, pointing up at the machine. Conner did a quick x-ray scan and confirmed it. He flew up there and tore off a panel. An eerie silence was presented. A faint glow inside indicated the presence of a gem. Conner crawled in and headed towards the shard. Suddenly, the shard disappeared, the darkness within headed towards him. His eyes widened as it pushed him out. Muso popped his head out the machine.

"He's still alive." said Conner as he dusted himself off. Large pincers hit the ground from the machine. Muso was literally staring down at them as more pincers appeared. Kikyo readied her bow and arrow, a look of anger and frustration overcame her. Talim looked over at her. The soft spoken priestess she met a few day's past had changed into a fierce, arrow-shooting fighter.

_Man, she's pissed. This must be really personal… _thought Talim. She looked up at Muso, who was staring at Superboy. Talim winced and looked back at the priestess as she was knocked out of the factory by one of Muso's gigantic pincers. Kikyo crashed through the windows at the top of the ceiling and went out of sight. Conner yelled as he was smacked into a gigantic sliding, metal door, denting it in the process. Talim snapped back into action, firing one of her demonic blasts at Muso. The shape-shifter dodged and gave Talim a nasty swipe, slashing her at the top of her chest and sending her through a different window.

Talim came too after a minute or two. She looked to her left and saw Kikyo coming to.

"You're hurt." said Kikyo.

"I'm fine." said Talim as she healed herself, just another of her array of powers.

Kikyo got up. "Wait…where's Conner?"

"He's…oh no…"

A body imprint hit the metal door. Then a dent hit the door, then another, then another, then another. Many more hit until the dents stopped.

"Conner!!" yelled Kikyo as she dashed towards the metal door. Talim followed, looked less concerned. They opened the metal door and saw Conner lying on the ground. A booming sound was heard outside the other side of the factory. Talim walked towards the middle of the factory as Kikyo checked on Conner.

"Are you ok?" she asked him. Conner looked confused as his hand went to his ear. His communicator was gone, possibly destroyed. Conner looked at Talim.

"She said, 'Are you ok?'" said Talim.

"Oh." said Conner as he nodded to Kikyo. She helped him up, checking him for wounds. He smiled softly and outstretched his palms to indicate that he was fine. She looked up into his grizzled, but caring face and blushed.

"Muso got away." said a cold voiced Talim. "It musta been one of those Boom Tubes."

"Yeah, I heard it too," responded Conner "We'll find him."

"What do you mean 'We'll find him'??? He's long gone!!!" exclaimed Talim.

"I said we'll find him, Talim."

"You stupid son-of-a-bitch, you let them get away!"

"Calm down! We didn't expect him to-"

BAM! A huge bolt of energy hit Conner in the stomach, sending him into a tree. Talim's eyes shone with red fury.

"Talim, what the hell is wrong with you???" said Conner as he lifted himself off.

"You! You're what's wrong with me! You and your stupid goody-good optimism is getting us nowhere! We would've had the jewel shard by now!!" yelled Talim.

"Talim, please, try to calm do-" started Kikyo.

"Shut up! It's your fault too! You won't let us know what's up!"

"I only tried to-"

"Why didn't you stay dead??"

Nobody really knows what clicked in Kikyo's mind that instant, but it was full of rage and fearlessness as Kikyo went up to Talim and landed a slap across that angry face of Talim's. Conner was amazed at this spectacle as Kikyo walked off into the woods. Talim held her hand to her cheek and sighed. She looked up and saw Conner looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I thought you changed."

"Well, you thought wrong."

"Talim, stop it. What are you trying to prove by acting like this?"

"I'm not trying to prove anything!"

"Don't lie!" he yelled at her, for once starting to lose his temper "I'm tired of your mouthing off and blaming everyone else! For once, take responsibility!"

"Like you took responsibility for beating up your friends?"

Conner stopped cold. His anger subsided and turned into slight sadness.

"Distancing yourself from other won't bring your friends back. Face it, you're stuck with us." he said. Conner turned on his heel and headed off towards Kikyo. Talim sighed and sat next to the factory wall.

Kikyo's lip trembled a bit. She felt out of place in this new world and time. For the first time in a long time, she felt alone. Before they came to this factory, she felt…well…happy. She never thought about it before. She was actually having fun with her new friends. But in the end, they were all the same. All the same kind of…

"Kikyo?" asked Conner to the sitting Kikyo. She looked up at him sullen eyes, eyes that have seen years of pain and misery. Conner's eyes could relate, but his were full of perseverance and might. Kikyo envied his eyes, wishing she had that kind of courage.

"Hello, Conner." Kikyo said in her native Japanese. Conner nodded and stood next to her.

"I know you can't understand me, but I'll try anyways." he said. Conner took a seat next to her.

Kikyo touched her hair, pointed at a red section of his shirt, made an angry face and shrugged. Conner, who was good at understanding things, knew that this meant: _Why is she so angry?_

Conner sighed and shrugged as well. He pointed at her and made a teardrop figure next to his eye as if to say: _Why are you so sad?_

Kikyo looked down and hugged herself tightly to say: _I'm always alone._

"Not anymore." said Conner as he smiled and wiped away a tear. She smiled a bit. He got up and walked back towards the factory, where he encountered Talim. She looked at him with regretful eyes.

"Hey, listen…I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that about you…" said Talim, not looking at Conner at all.

"Don't apologize to me, Talim Apologize to Kikyo." he said. Conner walked towards the other side of the door.

"Conner, wait." she said, her voice soft.

"Yeah?"

"Don't blame youself for what happened to you."

"It was me, Talim. I beat them all up."

"It's no different than you arguing with them. If they're true friends, then you can survive anything."

Conner looked down, then back at her. He suddenly remembered several of the Titans telling him to come back anything.

"They're lucky to have such a great and caring guy to be their friend. Kikyo's lucky to have you as a friend." she said, looking at her shoes.

"And you?"

"Me too."

Conner smirked and sighed.

The redhead walked up to a standing Kikyo, who was fixing her bow.

"Um…Kikyo…hey, listen, I wanted to say-"

"I know what you're going to say, Talim." Kikyo turned her back to Talim.

"It wasn't right to me. You should know by now that I get emotional." said Talim in a more-than-fluent Japanese.

"That's no reason to blast Conner. That's no reason to remind me I died and lost everything."

"We-…We've both been hurt by Naraku. We have common ground. I know that now! I thought about it and now I realize that I can't do this alone. I need your help, Kikyo."

"Since when did you ever need anyone else's help?"

Talim paused and walked closer to Kikyo.

"Since now, Kikyo. Please, I'm really sorry. I- What is it?" said Talim.

Kikyo was crying now, her hand over her eyes.

"He's going to kill us. We're not powerful enough to beat him! I didn't want to bring this trouble upon you guys, especially him!" she said, pointing over to Conner.

"He can take care of himself, Kikyo. So can I. The question is, can you?" said Talim.

Kikyo looked at her, the tears stopping as she did. She nodded and gave a nod of approval.

The girls walked back to Conner. Talim then said, "I'm willing to swallow my pride."

Conner got up and said, "We have a lot to learn about each other. But I'm willing to take the time."

"Revenge, redemption and closure. It can be a deadly combination, Wonderboy."

Conner smiled and laughed a bit. 'When are you gonna stop calling me that?"

"When you become my boyfriend." said Talim with a smirk.

"Never, eh? Anyways, I know where Muso went." said Conner.

"Where?"

"Back to the east, just outside Metropolis."

Kikyo, without understanding any English, knew what they were talking about.

Muso's Boom Tube opened up outside Naraku's cave with the gigantic machine landing several feet away. Naraku, Kagura and Kanna came outside to inspect the machine, who had Muso smiling sarcastically on top of the machine.

"How do you like it? Just like you asked." said Muso. He took out the tiny jewel shard and flicked it to Naraku.

"Good job." Naraku said.

"Is that all? Where's that reward you said you'd give me?" asked an impatient Muso.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Here you go."

Suddenly, Naraku extended a fat, globby tentacle at Muso, completely covering him in flesh. Muso screamed and cursed Naraku, still doing him no good as he struggled to free himself of Naraku's flesh. Soon, Muso wasn't even visible anymore as the glob broke him down and melted him into the same fleshy goo. As soon as he was gone, the flesh melted onto the machine, slowly turning into a sticky, fleshy, organic, twisted version of itself.

"The machine is ready. Only one thing is left to do." said Naraku.

"That is?"

"We have to kill those teenagers, Talim, Kikyo and Superboy." he said, while ordering Kanna to go into the cave.

"Why all of them? Weren't you just supposed to kill the half-demon?" asked Kagura.

"Just a bonus I'll get."

Kagura looked at the organic machine and looked back at Naraku,

"Is that why we have the machine?"

"Of course. Darkseid is not aware of what we are doing. I have much better plans for him later. For now, we will kill the kids."

"And then?"

"We head to Metropolis."


	7. Naraku's Revelations

_Act 7: Naraku's Revelations_

Conner sat silently at the corner of the monitor room at the Fortress of Solitude. His eyes were closed and his chest moved in a rhythmic motion. There was no sound except for the feint sound of the cold, icy Arctic wind above the ceiling. At the opposite side of the room, the two girls sat and stared at him.

"What is he doing?" asked a curious Kikyo.

"It's his superhearing, I think. He's hearing for something, but I don't know what it is. I'd just wish he'd get off his ass and start helping us kill Naraku!" said Talim.

"Maybe he is looking for Naraku."

"Don't be ridiculous, Kikyo. How can he find Naraku by hearing halfway across the globe?"

"I found him!" exclaimed Conner, after launching to his feet.

Kikyo looked up at Talim, who smiled a nervous smirk back.

"How in the world did you find him??" asked Talim.

"I wasn't' looking for him," said Conner as he put on his new translator "I was looking for any loud noises. More importantly, I found an opening Boom Tube. Lucky for us, I found one."

Conner went over to the control panel and pressed on some buttons. Talim went next to him and watched the screen. Kikyo stayed behind and listened to them talk.

"Spill it, Wonderboy."

"It came a few miles outside Gotham City, Talim. Not that far from your cabin."

Talim slammed her fist down on the control panel, crushing the button and sending parts flying.

"Damn it! He was that close to me and I didn't even notice! I could've killed him when I had the chance!"

"That's not true. He could have killed you when he had that chance." said Kikyo with a slight smile.

"Don't push it, priestess." said Talim.

Conner got up from his seat. "But she's right though. Listen, we know where Muso is and where Muso is, Naraku will be, right?"

Kikyo nodded and went into the adjacent room.

"Where are you off too?" asked Talim.

"I want to be ready for the upcoming battle!" Kikyo said, shutting the door behind her.

Kikyo dressed back into her red and white kimono and tied her hair up with her white ribbon. After she was done, she took a glance at the mirror. She realized she hadn't cleaned herself up since she was at Conner's house. The dirt and dust was still visible on her face. Then she realized how much she longed for her home.

_I…I don't think I can go back…I miss my home…I miss Kaede…But there are too many memories back there. In that era…I am dead. But here…no, I mustn't think that. There is neither hope for me here. After I kill Naraku…I don't know what I'll do. I'll just…_

There was a knock at the door. Kikyo, startled by it, opened it up to see Talim.

"Hey, are you, uh, ready?" said Talim. Kikyo detected a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"You are not scared, are you?" she asked her.

"No, I mean, why would I be? This is what I've been waiting for."

Kikyo, learning the lesson of prying, nodded and walked past her to Conner.

"So…are you ready?" he asked.

She nodded and got close to him, feeling his warmness as she did. He felt her cold hands wrapped around him.

"I'm ready." said Talim, spreading her demon wings.

Conner nodded, wrapped his muscular arm around Kikyo and flew out of the Fortress with Talim right behind him.

"They're coming, Kagura…"

The trio landed in a forest not too different from the one near Star City. In this time of sprawling cities, thought Conner, it was a wonder that any thick forests still existed. Just goes to show you that you never really know your country. A small mountain came into view. The sun was waning and the mountain was cast into an eerie darkness.

"I can feel the jewel!" said Kikyo.

"Where?" asked Talim.

"There." Kikyo pointed to the mountain.

"It's time. Wait here, I'll only be a minute"

The three came up to a simple cave. Kikyo and Talim both were ready to fight. Conner on the other hand, was looking with caution. Naraku walked out in all his glory, looking no older than he did 600 years ago. Kikyo raised her bow and arrow. Talim's eyes flashed red.

"Well, it looks like the gang's all here!" he said with a large smile.

"You cold, heartless murderer. I'll kill you, you just watch me do it!" said Talim, taking a step closer.

"Naraku, you time is at an end."

The shape-shifter laughed. "You two are so funny! Which one of you actually has the tenacity of actually killing me?"

"You bastard!" yelled Talim as she ran and released a purple energy blast. At that time, Kikyo released her arrow; both ripping apart Naraku. His upper torso flipped around in the air and came down gently. The bottom half was still standing as if to taunt them, which was probably the case.

Suddenly, without warning, tentacles ripped out from the bottom of Naraku's top half and reconnected with the bottom half. Within a minute, Naraku was to back to normal.

"Nice try. Let me see what I can do." said Naraku.

With one gigantic swipe of a large, fleshy tentacle, he knocked the two girls off their feet, sending into the trees. Naraku towered above them, about to drive a sharpened spike of his being into any which one of them when a blur knocked him away. Where he has been standing, Conner now stood, looking a bit confident.

"I'm tired of you already, Naraku" said the superhero. Naraku got up and smiled.

"You have nothing to do with this, Superboy. Why are you even helping these girls?"

"They're my friends. Friends always help out one of their own." Conner said with a smile.

"Too bad." Naraku said as he lunged at Conner. He dodged and drove his foot into the face of the shape-shifter. Naraku was thrown back into the mountain as Conner threw his fist at him. Naraku then smacked Conner into the ground with a pincer, laughing as he did.

Two red beams pierced the pincers as Naraku screamed in pain. Conner got up and took a deep breath.

"We'll be at this all day, Naraku. Just give up." said Conner as Kikyo and Talim rejoined him.

"Why? I still haven't used my aces." said Naraku with an evil smirk. Conner sensed it first. He pushed Kikyo out of the way as Naraku reached behind him and shot out a green dagger-spike. The spike sank into Conner's shoulder as he was pushed back about two yards.

"Conner!" yelled out Talim. Conner screamed in pain, blood gushing out of the wound.

Kikyo, now back on her feet, ran at Naraku. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and ran a solid tentacle across her face, smashing her into the mountainside. Naraku looked at the fallen Conner and the kneeling Talim at his side.

"It's Kryptonite, Superboy" he said "Does it hurt?"

"H-How d-do you….know?" Conner said, weakening.

"Darkseid. He let me know everything I need to know about you three."

Talim stood up and said, "Why us???"

"I have a bounty on you, Talim. From Lord Darkseid."

"What does he have to do with this?" she asked.

"My dear girl, he is your uncle."

A slight groan from Superboy accompanied Talim's widened eyes.

"He said that I'd get a huge reward if I killed you."

"But why?" she asked.

"That's something for you to find out. Now then, Kanna, do your thing."

Kanna, the blank faced little girl with the mirror, silently walked up to Talim. Before she could run away, her reflection was caught in the mirror. Talim's eyes lighten to a pale green. Ever so slowly, Talim's reflection brightened and brightened until, finally, It was as bright as she had been. Her body fell limp on the grass.

"Talim…aggh…" said a weak Conner.

Naraku took up Talim's soulless body and said, "See you around." Then he disappeared into the forest with Kagura and Kanna, laughing all the way.

Kikyo opened her eyes. The sun had gone down and the sound of crickets was heard. She was in a hole in the side of the mountain, covered in dirt and rocks. Groaning at the pain, she managed to get herself out and stand up. Her clothes were tattered and her face was dirty. She looked around to see if there was anyone around. Then, a few yards away, a groan was heard. She looked over and saw Conner on the ground with a green, glowing spike jutting out of his shoulder. His shirt was covered in blood and grass.

"Conner!" she yelled. Kikyo ran over to him and kneeled next to him. He was falling in and out of consciousness.

"W-What do you need?" she said.

Conner had lost his translator in the fight and didn't understand the Japanese. His hand went to the kryptonite spike and tried to pull it out, groaning in pain as he did. Kikyo understood and slowly pulled out the dagger. She wiped off his blood on her shirt and threw the spike away. Conner's face was turning green and the wound was infected with green veins.

"Oh no… Conner, please forgive me for this…"

She then heaved him up and dragged him towards the cave. He groaned loud, since she had her arms under his shoulders. With all her might, she managed to get him into the dark cave. In the dim, dim, light, she got a small fire going. Conner was passed out next to the fire, his head in the lap of the caring Kikyo.

"Why did you have to get involved?? Why?" she asked him. Of course, there was no answer. She gently stroked his hair.

"What makes you sacrifice yourself for others? What is it?" she asked again. No answer.

"Don't you know it's useless? Why? Is it for money? Pride? Glory? Why, Conner?" she pleaded. Again, no answer.

"Look what happened to you. All because of me…always me…"

He then opened his eyes a bit. She noticed and looked back. Despite the language barriers, he understood what she implied.

"I know…what you're thinking…and it's worth it." he said with a slight smile.

She smiled back as he went back into a deep sleep.

The light was shining when Conner opened his eyes. Kikyo was strapping her bow and quiver to her back. Once he heard him trying to get up on his knees, she spun around and looked at him.

"You stupid boy…" she said, shaking her head. Conner limped towards her with an outstretched arm. Kikyo swallowed and held out a small chunk of kryptonite. Conner eyes widened and fell to his knees in pain.

"Why…?" he cried out, grasping his stomach.

Kikyo bent down and placed it down his shirt.

"You're probably wondering why I'm doing it. You almost died last night. I can't let you risk yourself like that again. This is my fight and you have no business to be in my affairs. This green crystal weakens you doesn't it? I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but it's the only way to stop you from following me." She bent down and kissed his cheek.

"Please don't hate me. I'll see you again." said Kikyo. She then turned around and walked down a small dirt path.

"Kikyo…oww…you…don't…know w-what…you're doing…" said Conner, feeling the intense green pain. He reached inside his shirt, looking for the chunk. He stopped for awhile, for his bubbling blood caused by the kryptonite made it painful to clamp his hand. Thinking of another way to get rid of the Green K, he let the chunk go free and tried to crawl forward. He put one arm forward and pulled. Conner grunted and groaned as the rock scraped against his skin. Using his legs to help out, he gave one large push and rolled forward. Suddenly, the pain was gone. The rock was only a few feet away. He rolled farther and farther to get away from the deadly radiation. Conner sighed and tried to get up, his legs wobbling as he did.

"That really hurt."

Taking a deep breath, Conner shot into the sky and headed towards the clouds. The darkness of space loomed in front of him as the clouds disappeared behind him. At about ten miles above the Earth, he stopped. The sun's rays were undisturbed by the atmosphere. Conner closed his eyes and smiled. Most people didn't like sunlight. But to Conner right now, it they were sweeter than juice. Staying up there for about two minutes, his cells were recharged with the yellow sunlight that he depended on to survive. Feeling the raw energy, he blasted towards the Arctic.


End file.
